170INFLUENCE OF FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH EMBRYO RECOVERY AND POLICY OF 
TRANSFER ON PREGNANCY RATES AFTER TRANSFER OF BOVINE FRESH EMBRYOS

Success of embryo transfer (ET) is related to many well identified factors such as quality and stage of embryos, or parity of recipients. However, there are no data on the effects of factors associated with embryo recovery and ET policy (proportion of embryos transferred as fresh or frozen) on pregnancy rates (PR) after ET. A retrospective study was designed to study how these factors affect PR achieved with fresh embryos (FE). A total of 3380 embryo recovery sessions (RS) realized by Embryotop (France) between 1995 and 2002 were studied, corresponding to 14,755 transfers with FE. Forty-four RS were made with only frozen embryos and removed from data set. A total of 1716 RS involved transfer from both frozen and FE, whereas in 1620 RS all transfers were made with FE. The organization of RS was assessed by the number of operators (OP) per RS and per donor cow, the number of embryos collected per RS and per OP. The operator at RS and ET was also noted. Embryo characteristics such as stage and quality (according to IETS criteria), paternal origin, and breed of donor cow were recorded together with the breed, date of ET and parity of recipients. The association between each variable and PR was analyzed by Chi-square. Only the significant factors were considered for further analysis (P<0.05) and introduced with a stepwise procedure in a multivariate model of logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratio (OR). The number of RS was stable among years (463 to 493), whereas the number of embryos collected increased by 10% from 1995 to 2002. For 681 RS (20.4%), more than one donor cow were used for collection. Mean number of donor cows per RS and OP increased from 1.16 in 1995 to 1.34 in 2002. The mean number of transfers of FE per RS and OP was quite stable (3.82 in 1995 to 4.16 in 2002). This was explained by the increase in the number of frozen embryos per OP, averaging 1.99 in 1995 and 4.14 in 2002. The proportion of RS with only transfers of FE decreased by 20 points from 1995 (57%) to 2002 (36%). The number of transfers of FE per RS and OP was highly variable, ranging from 0 to 26. PR with FE averaged 52.1% and were significantly influenced by the number of donor cows per OP, operator of RS, embryo quality and paternal origin as well as recipient parity. Transfer of FE collected in RS with one donor cow resulted in higher PR than when more than one cow (53.0% v. 49.9%, OR=1.12, P=0.003). This could be partly explained by a higher mean number of transfers per RS and OP (1 donor cow=3.7±2.0 v.>1=5.3±3.1; P<0.05) as well as a higher proportion of RS with only FE transferred (1 donor cow=51.2% v.>1=38.5% ; P<0.05). Although the embryo quality was lower in RS combining ET of both frozen and FE than when only FE were transferred, these effects were not related to the lower quality of FE used in RS involving more than 1 donor cow (1 donor cow=1.74±0.50 v.>1=1.75±0.44; P>0.05), but may be explained by a longer time between embryo recovery and ET. After adjustment for the usually well identified sources of variation of PR, the conditions of RS as well as ET policy (leading to the selection of the best embryos for transfer as frozen and to influence on the quantity of work per OP) can significantly influence PR. These sources of variation should be taken into account when analyzing PR results.

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191 INFLUENCE OF THE DIFFERENT TIME COMPONENTS BETWEEN FLUSHING AND TRANSFER ON PREGNANCY RATES OF FROZEN CATTLE EMBRYOS

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv18n2ab191 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 203

Author(s):

C. Ponsart ◽

H. Quinton ◽

A. Rohou ◽

J. Kelhembo ◽

G. Bourgoin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnancy Rates ◽

Chi Square ◽

Frozen Embryos ◽

Multivariate Logistic Model ◽

Parity Number ◽

Embryo Stage ◽

Chi Square Analysis ◽

Fresh Embryos ◽

Donor Cows

Previous studies have shown that the time between flushing and freezing of bovine embryos can influence pregnancy rates (PRs) following embryo transfer (ET). The aim of this study was to determine which time components can influence ET results. Time components between flushing of a superovulated donor and freezing of the collected embryos were investigated under field conditions. Embryos were frozen in 1.5 M ethylene glycol (EG) for direct transfer. During January 2003, ET technicians (EmbryoTop, Rennes cedex, France) recorded systematically times corresponding to each step comprising the time spent in vitro (TIV) from 153 recovery sessions (RS) with freezing: end of flushing, beginning and end of search of embryos, start of equilibration in EG, beginning and end of straw loading, introduction to −7°C in the freezer, and seeding. Numbers of donor cows and ET technicians doing the freezing (n = 5) were noted for each RS. Embryo (stage, quality) and recipient (breed, parity) characteristics were also noted. A total of 548 frozen embryos were transferred and PRs were assessed. Variability of time components was investigated (Bourgoin et al. 2004 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 16, 207). The influence of time components and other variation factors was tested on PRs (t-tests and chi-square analysis). The TIV averaged 210 ± 80 min and did not influence PR (≤4 h = 51.9% (n = 393) vs. >4 h = 55.5% (n = 155); P > 0.05), as well as duration of flushing (32 ± 8 min), interval between end of flushing and search (31 ± 27 min), duration of search (45 ± 25 min) and interval between end of search and beginning of freezing (101 ± 63 min). Only significant factors were kept for further analysis. The effects of recipient parity, number of donor cows per RS, and interval between introduction of straw to −7°C, and seeding were tested in a multivariate logistic model. PR varied strongly with parity of recipient (+25% in heifers vs. cows; P = 0.001). PRs were higher when the interval between straw introduction in the freezer and seeding lasted at least 5 min (2–4 min = 48.0% (n = 254) vs. 5–8 min = 57.1% (n = 294); P = 0.009). Time and operator effects were confounded. Overall PR results for the two technicians who used mostly 2–4 min intervals averaged 47% (operator values = 35.6, 48.9, and 54.5) whereas PRs were 54.9 and 60.5% for those waiting 5 min or more before inducing seeding (n = 2). PRs were higher when at least two donor cows were collected per RS (1 donor cow = 49% (n = 259) vs. ≥2 donor cows = 56.4% (n = 289); P = 0.003). This was not in agreement with previous observations in fresh embryos (Bourgoin et al. 2004). However, the number of donor cows strongly influenced the number of viable embryos per RS (1 donor cow = 11 ± 5 vs. ≥2 donor cows = 18 ± 8.5; P < 0.05) and could permit the choice of more embryos to be frozen. These results show that good PR may be achieved with a delay of several hours between flushing and freezing, when heifers are used as recipients. Moreover, confirmed from higher numbers of operators, these data show that it is better to wait at least 5 min to achieve equilibration of the embryo before seeding.

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Effects of parity and season on pregnancy rates after the transfer of embryos to repeat-breeder Japanese Black beef cattle

Archives Animal Breeding ◽

10.5194/aab-59-45-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 45-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

T. Ono ◽

T. Isobe ◽

Y. Morita ◽

L. T. K. Do ◽

F. Tanihara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Beef Cattle ◽

Embryo Transfer ◽

Reproductive Performance ◽

Pregnancy Rates ◽

Frozen Embryos ◽

Repeat Breeder ◽

Fresh Embryos

Abstract. Repeat-breeder (RB) cows are a major source of economic waste due to their decreased fertility. Embryo transfer (ET) is an alternative tool to improve the fertility of RB cows. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the effects of recipient parity and the season on pregnancy rates following ET in RB Japanese Black beef cattle. Embryos were transferred nonsurgically to recipients, consisting of 155 heifers (< 2 years old) and 172 cows (< 8 years old), which were defined as RB cattle. Of the recipients that were presented for ET, 57 recipients received a fresh embryo and 270 recipients received a frozen embryo. There were no differences in the pregnancy rates between cattle that received fresh embryos or frozen embryos. The rates of recipients with pregnancy, abortion, stillbirth, and normal calving were similar between heifers and cows. In cows, the pregnancy rates were lower (P < 0.05) in summer (June to August) than in spring (March to May) and winter (December to February). In heifers, however, there were no differences in the pregnancy rates among the seasons. Our findings indicate that in RB Japanese Black beef cattle, the parity of the recipients does not have an effect on the pregnancy rates following the transfer of fresh and frozen embryos. However, heat stress may affect reproductive performance in RB Japanese Black cows.

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120PREGNANCY RATES RESULTING FROM TRANSFER OF FRESH AND FROZEN HOLSTEIN AND JERSEY EMBRYOS

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv16n1ab120 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 182 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

R. Steel ◽

J.F. Hasler

Keyword(s):

Ethylene Glycol ◽

Dairy Farms ◽

Pregnancy Rates ◽

Embryo Survival ◽

Embryo Freezing ◽

Retrospective Comparison ◽

Frozen Embryos ◽

Embryo Stage ◽

In Pregnancy ◽

Fresh Embryos

Although it has not been documented in published studies, embryo transfer (ET) practitioners have suggested that embryos from Jersey (JE) cattle do not survive freezing as well as embryos from other dairy breeds such as Holsteins (HO). The present study represents a retrospective analysis of pregnancy rates achieved following transfer of fresh and frozen embryos from Jersey and Holstein donors. In addition, a retrospective comparison was made of two different embryo-freezing protocols for each breed of cattle. Embryos were collected nonsurgically 7 to 7.5 days post-estrus from superovulated donors on 57 Holstein and 27 Jersey dairy farms over a 15-year period. Fresh and frozen-thawed embryos were transferred nonsurgically into cows and heifers following either natural or prostaglandin-induced estrus. Embryos were frozen either in 10% glycerol (Gly) or 1.5M ethylene glycol (EG) in 0.25mL straws. Following equilibration, straws were seeded at −6 to −7°C and temperature was maintained for 10 min and then decreased at 0.6°Cper min. Straws were plunged into liquid nitrogen at −32 to −35°C. At thawing, straws were held in the air for 7s and then submerged in 29°C water for 15s. Embryos frozen in EG were transferred immediately following thawing. Embryos frozen in Gly were rehydrated in a standard 3-step Gly-sucrose system prior to being transferred. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed at Days 40 to 90 of gestation. As seen in the Table 1, pregnancy rates were similar for fresh embryos from both HO and JE cattle. Also, there were no differences in pregnancy rates between recipients that received embryos frozen in Gly or EG within donors of either breed. However, JE embryos frozen in either Gly or EG resulted in lower pregnancy rates than did HO embryos frozen in Gly or EG. Embryo stage at freezing was tracked for EG but not Gly embryos. There were no differences in pregnancy rates among morulae, early blastocysts or mid-blastocysts for either HO or JE embryos frozen in EG. The differences in embryo survival may be due to different lipid composition of embryos of the two breeds. Perhaps a more efficacious freezing protocol can be developed for cryopreservation of JE embryos. In conclusion, pregnancy rates with cryopreserved HO embryos were higher than with JE embryos. Table 1

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77 PREGNANCY RATES AFTER VITRIFICATION OF FRESH AND COOLED EQUINE EMBRYOS USING THE CRYOTOP METHOD

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv23n1ab77 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 144

Author(s):

C. Baca Castex ◽

G. Dalvit ◽

M. Miragaya ◽

A. Alonso ◽

M. Pinto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnancy Rate ◽

Pregnancy Rates ◽

Glass Capillary ◽

Routine Procedure ◽

Embryo Recovery ◽

Advanced Stages ◽

Vitrification Solution ◽

Almost All ◽

Cryopreservation Protocol ◽

Fresh Embryos

Cryopreservation of equine embryos is still not a routine procedure. Pregnancies have been obtained after transfer of vitrified embryos of less than 300 μm (Eldridge-Panuska et al. 2005). The aim of this study was to use the cryotop method (Kuwayama, 2007) to obtain pregnancies after transfer of vitrified thawed cooled and fresh embryos collected in our clinical embryo transfer programme. Embryos were assigned either to be vitrified within 3 h of collection or to be cooled for 18–24 h before vitrification. All embryos were vitrified and thawed by Cryotop Vitrification Kit® (Cryo Tech Laboratory®). Briefly, they were equilibrated in a solution containing ethylene glycol (EG), dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) in TCM-199 for 10 to 25 min. Then they were moved to vitrification solution containing EG, DMSO, and sucrose in TCM-199 and loaded with a glass capillary onto the top of the film strip. After loading, almost all the solution was removed to leave only a thin layer covering the embryo, and the sample was quickly immersed into liquid nitrogen and covered with a protective cap. The time between entry to vitrification solution and nitrogen was from 1 to 3 min. At warming, the strip was immersed directly for 1 min into a 37°C medium containing sucrose in TCM-199. The embryo was incubated 3 min in a diluent solution, washed twice 5 min each in washing solution, and further cultured in DMEM F-12 with 10% FBS at 38.5°C 5% CO2 between 2 to 5 h. For transfer, the embryo was loaded in 0.5-mL straws. All recipient mares had ovulated 4 to 7 days before nonsurgical transfer. Pregnancies were detected 6 to 8 days later. A total of 15 embryos, grades 1 to 2, were obtained. Fresh embryos (n = 7) ranged between 250 and 800 μm, and refrigerated embryo (n = 8) diameter was between 130 and 550 μm. Pregnancy rates were 37.5% (3/8) for embryos cooled before vitrification and 28.6% (2/7) for embryos vitrified within 3 h. The overall pregnancy rate was 33.3% (5/15). Shipping cooled embryos allows maintaining a large number of recipients far away from donors, without decreasing pregnancy rate. It also makes it possible to send embryos to a specialised laboratory in order to be vitrified and preserved until recipients are available. Equine embryos collected 6 days after ovulation are generally smaller than 300 μm and have shown the highest survival rate after cryopreservation. However, the embryo recovery rate is higher when flushing is performed at Day 7 or 8. This cryopreservation protocol could provide a way to vitrify fresh and cooled embryos up to 550 μm, which would prevent the loss of valuable embryos collected in more advanced stages of development. In summary, pregnancies can be obtained after cooling for 18 to 24 h and vitrification of embryos collected 7 or 7.5 days after.

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Factor Analysis of Students’ Exposure to Social Media for Food and Beverage

International Journal of Research and Review ◽

10.52403/ijrr.20210219 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 113-118

Author(s):

Noora Shrestha

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Data Set ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Rotation Method ◽

The Social ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

Strongly Agree ◽

Self Administered Questionnaire

Food and beverage marketing on social media is a powerful factor to influence students’ exposure to social media and application for food and beverage. It is a well-known fact that most of the food and beverage business target young people on the social media. The objective of the study is to identify the factors associated to the students’ exposure in the social media platforms for food and beverage. The young students between the ages 20 to 26 years completed a self-administered questionnaire survey on their media use for food and beverages. The questionnaire was prepared using Likert scale with five options from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The data set was described with descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation. The exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation method was used to extract the factors. The most popular social media among the respondents were Facebook, Instagram, and You Tube. 73.3% of the students were exposed to food and beverage application in their mobile device and 76% of them followed the popular food and beverage pages in social media. The result revealed that social media posts, promotional offer, and hygienic concept have positively influenced majority of the students’ exposure to social media for food and beverage. Keywords: Factor analysis, Social Media, Food and Beverage, Student, Promotional Offer.

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Reduced progesterone concentration during growth of the first follicular wave affects embryo quality but has no effect on embryo survival post transfer in lactating dairy cows

Reproduction ◽

10.1530/rep-10-0375 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 141 (3) ◽

pp. 333-342 ◽

Cited By ~ 78

Author(s):

Fernando A Rivera ◽

Luís G D Mendonça ◽

Gláucio Lopes ◽

José E P Santos ◽

Rolando V Perez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Estrous Cycle ◽

Embryo Quality ◽

Post Partum ◽

Embryo Survival ◽

Follicular Wave ◽

Lactating Dairy Cows ◽

Prostaglandin F ◽

Donor Cows

Fertility of lactating dairy cows is associated with reduced progesterone (P4) concentration compared with nonlactating animals. The objective of the current study was to determine whether P4 during growth of the first follicular wave (FFW) affects embryo quality. Lactating Holstein cows at 33±3 days post partum were allocated to one of three treatments. Cows in the FFW and FFW with P4 (FFWP) treatments started the superstimulation protocol on day 1 of the estrous cycle and second follicular wave (SFW) cows started the superstimulation protocol on estrous cycle day 7. Cows were superstimulated with 400 mg of NIH-FSH-P1 (FSH) given twice daily for 5 days, two prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) injections given with the ninth and tenth injections of FSH, GNRH given 48 h after the first PGF2α injection, and timed insemination 12 and 24 h after the GNRH injection. Cows in the FFWP treatment received two intravaginal P4 inserts during the superstimulation. Embryos were recovered 6.5 days after artificial insemination and excellent/good and fair embryos were frozen and transferred. Blood was sampled daily from estrous cycle day 0 until insemination from donor cows. During the superstimulation protocol, P4 was (P<0.01) greatest for SFW cows followed by FFWP and FFW cows respectively. The percentage of embryos–oocytes from SFW and FFWP cows classified as excellent/good and fair embryos was (P=0.02) greater than those of FFW cows. Pregnancy per embryo transfer was not (P≥0.73) affected by embryo donor treatment. Reduced embryo quality of cows induced to ovulate the follicles from the first follicular wave is a consequence of reduced P4 during follicle growth.

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Entrepreneurial orientation in a franchised home entertainment system

South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences ◽

10.4102/sajems.v9i1.1153 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 1-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A Maritz ◽

G Nieman

Keyword(s):

Research Methodology ◽

Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽

Electronic Media ◽

Future Research ◽

Data Set ◽

Franchise System ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Home Entertainment ◽

Managerial Implications ◽

Survey Approach

This paper fills the gap in the research undertaken into the entrepreneurial orientation of franchisees. The study identifies entrepreneurial orientation within a defined franchise system, using the entrepreneurial character theme matrix developed by Thompson (2002). Research methodology comprises the survey approach, using electronic media and Surveypro analysis (Dillman, 2000). Hypothesis tests highlight the absence of statistically significant entrepreneurial orientation in the franchise system, despite a significant orientation in a multiple-outlet proposition analysis. Conclusions and recommendations include mobilising and communicating the action factors associated with entrepreneurial orientation, involving all franchisees within the system. Managerial implications include the motivation of developing multiple-outlet franchise systems. Future research involves broadening the data set across industries and borders.

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Superovulation, embryo recovery, and pregnancy rates from seasonally anovulatory donor mares treated with recombinant equine FSH (reFSH)

Theriogenology ◽

10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.10.030 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 142 ◽

pp. 291-295

Author(s):

Janet F. Roser ◽

Maria V. Etcharren ◽

Marcelo H. Miragaya ◽

Adrian Mutto ◽

Mark Colgin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnancy Rates ◽

Embryo Recovery

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Competition between Public and Private Maternity Care Providers in France: Evidence on Market Segmentation

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17217846 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (21) ◽

pp. 7846

Author(s):

Daniel Herrera-Araujo ◽

Lise Rochaix

Keyword(s):

Hospital Competition ◽

Care Providers ◽

Data Set ◽

Public And Private ◽

User Choice ◽

Hospital Markets ◽

For Profit ◽

Market Shares ◽

French Case ◽

Sources Of Variation

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential for segmentation in hospital markets, using the French case where private for-profit providers play an important role having nearly 25% of market shares, and where prices are regulated, leading to quality competition. Using a stylized economic model of hospital competition, we investigate the potential for displacement between vertically differentiated public and private providers, focusing on maternity units where user choice is central. Building over the model, we test the following three hypotheses. First, the number of public maternity units is likely to be much larger in less populated departments than in more populated ones. Second, as the number of public maternity units decreases, the profitability constraint should allow more private players into the market. Third, private units are closer substitutes to other private units than to public units. Building an exhaustive and nationwide data set on the activity of maternity services linked to detailed data at a hospital level, we use an event study framework, which exploits two sources of variation: (1) The variation over time in the number of maternity units and (2) the variation in users’ choices. We find support for our hypotheses, indicating that segmentation is at work in these markets with asymmetrical effects between public and private sectors that need to be accounted for when deciding on public market entry or exit.

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